Using EBT cards at farmers markets

Wondering how to use your EBT card at Minnesota farmers markets? This short guide answers your questions about everything from which farmers market accept EBT cards to what you can and cannot buy with your card. Read the guide online, starting below, or download a copy in print form: Using EBT cards at farmers markets (PDF).

More and more Minnesota farmers markets accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits when you shop with your Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card.

Check the website or Facebook page of your local farmers market to see if it accepts EBT cards. You can find lists of Minnesota farmers markets accepting EBT cards on the following websites:

Step 1: Locate the EBT booth. Booths often have a sign that says “EBT/Credit/Debit Accepted Here.”

Step 2: The terminal manager will swipe your EBT card for the amount you want to spend. Enter your PIN. You will receive wooden tokens, or some other type of scrip, for the amount swiped.

Step 3: Use your scrip to purchase eligible items from any vendor that accepts EBT. Eligible vendors will display signs indicating they accept EBT in their booths.

Option 1: “Window shop” at all of the vendors’ booths to create a list of the goods you want to purchase and their prices.

Option 2: Before shopping, determine an amount to spend at the market based on your budget.

Because individuals are able to use both EBT and credit or debit cards at a farmers market, a market will issue two different types of scrip — one for EBT users and one for credit and debit card users; see the wooden token examples at right. Two types of scrip are necessary because EBT scrip can only be used for eligible items, and no change is given for EBT scrip.

Please note that some farmers markets only accept “food benefit” not “cash benefit” from EBT cards.

The following items can be purchased with an EBT card:

Fruits and vegetables

Meat, fish, eggs and dairy products

Honey and maple products

Jams, jellies, pickles and sauces

Baked goods

Seeds and plants that produce food

The following items cannot be purchased with an EBT card:

Food items intended for immediate consumption at the market, such as coffee or prepared hot foods.

Non-food items, such as crafts, clothes, or flowers.

Produce that is intended for ornamental purposes only, such as gourds or carving pumpkins.

Market Bucks

SNAP/EBT customers can double their purchasing power at participating farmers markets. Every $1 of SNAP/EBT benefits spent is matched by $1 in Market Bucks — up to $10 every time a customer visits the market! Hunger Solutions Minnesota administers the program and has fliers and brochures available on their website.

The Twin Cities Mobile Market — a grocery store on wheels that brings fresh produce, meat, and groceries to 33 locations throughout the Twin Cities — also accepts SNAP/EBT and offers Market Bucks. See when it will be in your neighborhood on the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation's Find a Mobile Market Stop Near You webpage.